High ball

Kirin Beer has released a new Bourbon-based high ball as part of its “world high ball” collection of canned cocktails. The cocktail uses officially recognized Bourbon whiskey from Kentucky, specifically the I.W. Harper brand. The can features the I.W. Harper’s brand colors.

Additionally, a “Four Roses High Ball” is also on the market. The beverages are available only at convenience store locations, and are limited in numbers. One case of 24 250 ml cans is available in addition to individual units. Open pricing.

One of so many products that you may try once, regret buying soon after tasting the first sip, reluctantly finish off, and never buy again. Bourbon people buy the bottle and mix accordingly anyway. Harper's is fairly low end but not bad on the rocks.

High Balls allegedly were very popular in the 70's in Japan, and the current trend began with Suntory trying to revive lagging whiskey sales. That's why some people refer to the "kaku high ball" - a high ball that specifically uses Suntory square-bottle whiskey ("kaku" meaning square, in this case, in Japanese). It caught on again in a big way and, being a market economy, other manufacturers hopped on the bandwagon.

Beer brewing/import is subject to ridiculously heavy taxes in Japan, so drinks using other types of liquor are cheaper to manufacture, which also explains why high balls are universally cheaper than beer.

Also, Zenobia, everything containing liquor in Japan will say "osake" on it somewhere. What you want to watch out for are beer cans that say "happoshu" on them - non-alcoholic beer made from soy protein and mixed with low quality liquor. Familiarize yourself with the kanji and steer clear of those cans whenever possible.